Love Life Lessons from Princess Tiana

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Princess Tiana had one of the most convoluted love life progressions of any of the Disney Princesses.

Uninterested -> Unlucky -> Lucky -> Unlucky -> Lucky -> Very Lucky.

Okay, well, as complicated as movies that are targeted to largely under eight audiences can be.

From every step in her love life progression, there's a lesson to be learned! Let's walk through it together

1) Uninterested

Sometimes, you have to prioritize. Starting a successful business, the restaurant of her dreams, was more important to Tiana than dating, which I actually thought was pretty great.

But if you're spending all your time working, you can't expect to have your perfect Prince Charming just pop out of the blue while you're chugging away at the library or putting in sixty hour work weeks. Decide what you want, but then be ready to live with the consequences of your decision!

2) Unlucky

Don't go around kissing frogs and expecting princes. You're much more likely to end up with a bad taste in your mouth - or worse, if you're Princess Tiana! Being alone is better than being with just anyone.



Likewise, be careful of the company you keep. Hang out with frogs too often adn you might be swallowing flies before you know it, too!

3) Lucky 

If you're true to yourself and follow your heart, things will work themselves out. Don't drop your school plans for a boy, or change your personality for a boy, or stress too much about the fact that you're perpetually single (welcome to the club, we have ice cream to share).

You don't have to force love. If it's real, it has enough momentum of its own to make sure it makes it into your life.

You just have to make sure that you're open to it and not always elbow deep in dishwater!

4) Unlucky

Sometimes other commitments or considerations come up as a blockade to the fairytale happily-ever-after and the guy you thought was the one doesn't end up being the one that you get.

This is another reason why it's extremely important to (as per # 3, above) not give up your own dreams in pursuit of a happy-dappy relationship. Some boys (most boys) aren't forever!

5) Lucky

Things might not always work out the way that you planned them, or the way that you thought you wanted them, but you'll find that they might just work out in a way that can still make you very happy. Don't get too set on having things go exactly the way that you see them in your head!

6) Very Lucky

If you're a Disney princess, there will probably be just enough time between you realizing that things didn't turn out the way you expected/wanted for a catchy, but sentimental, musical interlude and you to have the above mentioned revelation (refer to #5). Then, ba-da-boom-ba-da-bing, you'll get exactly what you wanted all along - and more!

Because what's a Disney princess fairytale without a crown and some pixie dust? Putting a ring on it hasn't been enough since 1937.

Which of the 'new' Disney princesses do you like the best?

How excited are you for Frozen this winter?

How many more Disney princesses do you think there will be?

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So You Want A Job: Resume Bloopers

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Taking life too seriously is no fun. Even when you're thinking about something as important as your entry into the job market, you can still have a little fun and stay light-hearted about the whole thing.

For everyone who's currently working on polishing up a resume to apply for jobs, here are some funny resume don'ts. Don't let any of these be you!

Spell, much?

People blog professionally? WHAT.

Accurate spelling isn't enough. Make sure you're also clear in your resume, because misunderstandings can be unfortunate.

Don't use colloquialisms (or profanity!) in your cover letter. Please.

Remember to target your resume distribution, guys, don't just send it to any and every company out there.

While it's great to leverage your networks when you're looking for a job, make sure you do so in an appropriate, tasteful way.

That wouldn't be an appropriate way.

Sometimes things don't go in your favor and someone else gets the job. While you shouldn't let that make you feel bad about yourself, don't assume you didn't get the job because you're just too awesome. Or do assume it, if that's what your ego needs, but don't tell everyone that - whenever I hear that, my immediate reaction is to internally roll my eyes.

Right. And I'm not the Queen of England because I'm too royal.

If you do get the job, don't be lazy.

But don't worry, workers aren't the only ones making mistakes.

Maybe we could all benefit from some more spelling bees. 

As well as more realistic expectations.

More realistic expectations, coupled with a better understanding of how math works, certainly wouldn't hurt.

Neither would a new recruitment manager at Pizza Hut.

Something tells me the applications aren't pouring in. 

At least the competitor's recruitment efforts aren't going much better.

One can only hope, right?

What is the most exciting thing on your agenda week?

How often do you update your resume?

What's your ultimate career goal?

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Oloves Love! A Review

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Now that the fall semester is in full swing, I'm always appreciative of convenience items to make my life easier. Oloves is just that!

Sometimes I leave the house without knowing when exactly I'll be back, or when I'll be able to grab a snack. I always keep bars in my backpack for just that reason, but that means that some days (when I'm out and about a ton, so a ton of snacking is needed) that can mean that I need four or five bars! Fruit gets bruised easily, veggies need cooling and can't be stored in my backpack over weeks for convenience, yogurt needs a cooler pack, cereal is messy - it ends up needing to bars! I love bars, but it's nice to having something different now and then, especially as a different snack on a multi-bar day.

Oloves is perfect for filling that need!

I got to try three of their handy olive snack packs and three dips (perfect if you have a snack pack of crackers in your backpack)!



The hummus was nice and creamy and I loved that it featured just healthy, natural ingredients.



The black olive tapenade was new to me, but good!



I really liked the bruschetta, but think that one is better to enjoy it home with fresh bread, rather than on the go with crackers.



The Oloves olives were by far the best, however!



They were such a handy little snack and so tasty!



Unlike your usual olives, they're not packed in liquid and are thus mess-free. Even though the nutritional stats are broken down into two tiiiiiny servings, the values advertised on the front are for the whole packet. Which is good, because it's small and no normal person would bother eating just half the bag. It wouldn't even put a dent in the smallest appetite!



They're packed in a little oil (but not enough to make a mess or spill anywhere, just coating the olives and enhancing the flavor). I liked that they used a healthy, natural vegetable oil for that!



All three varieties tasted great and the Hot Chilli Mama wasn't too spicy, but my clear favorite was the Lemony Love.



They're such a great snack and so tangy and delicious. Yum, yum, yum!



I'm not even that huge of an olive fan (I don't like them on salad at all) but these convinced me that they can make a great snack!

Do you like olives?

Have you tried a tapenade before?

Do you prefer green or black olives?

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You Might be a Fairytale Dwarf If...

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Have you ever felt a little out of place, or like you didn't belong? You might not. You might be a fairytale dwarf! After all, there are several fairytale dwarfs that didn't make the cut for Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Think one of those dwarves might be you? Read on!

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you like shiny things. A lot.



You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you like to wear heel-less sock on your head day after day after day.

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you have a disproportionately large, red nose. The more bulbous the nose, the more likely that you are one!

...or that you're a Thornberry

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you have a very one-track personality, such as can be comprehensively described in one, preferably child-friendly, word.

...or a short phrase.

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you find yourself hanging out with cheerful, naive, anemic scullery maids a lot.

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... your name is Wheezy, Puffy, Stuffy, Biggo-Ego, Jumpy, Baldy, Nifty, Gabby, Stubby, Deafy, Dizzey, Hickey, Sniffy, Swift, Lazy, Puffy, Tubby, Shorty and Burpy and Burby. They all didn't make the cut!

Some original dwarf renderings

You might be a fairytale dwarf if... you're grown up, but still live with loads of roommates and can't quite seem to figure out how to cook your own dinner.

It's not always easy being a dwarf, even though you get to spend your days contentedly whistling while mining gems and everything else that sparkles. Sleepy was the only one of the seven dwarfs not to get a good-bye kiss from Snow White! It just goes to show that some 'wisdoms', like you snooze, you lose, apply to dwarves, too.

But the dwarfs aren't the only ones who don't always get what they want. To keep Snow White special and keep from ruining the illusion of the perfect princess, Disney kept voice actress Adriana Caselotti (the voice of Snow White) in a strict contract that prevented her from appearing in any other film or stage productions.

That was quite a sacrifice for the 19-year-old aspiring opera singer!

Would you give up the hope of a long career if you could, instead, of a 'one hit wonder' type thing like Adriana Caselotti did?

Which one of the dwarfs do you find most sympathetic?

Might you be a dwarf?

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Lenny & Larry's Protein FIT Brownies Giveaway!

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Did you enjoy my Lenny & Larry's Protein FIT Brownie review yesterday?

Today I have a giveaway for y'all! One lucky Living, Learning, Eating reader will win an assorted box of Lenny & Larry's Protein FIT Brownies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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Review: Lenny & Larry's Fit Brownies!

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Lenny & Larry's make ridiculously delicious, protein-packed treats - all sorts of yummy cookies and brownies! I love their brownies, but even though they come with a good deal of protein the 400+ calories in each treat can be a bit much for a regular dessert for some people. 

Especially when topped with ice cream (aka: the only right way to eat a brownie).

 That's why they've introduced the new Fit Brownies line!

There are three tempting flavors.

There's Chocolate Raspberry.

There's Chocolate Decadence.

There's also Peanut Butter Crunch, which (of course) is a favorite.

Fit Brownies offer the same chocolaty indulgence of the original brownies, but at just under 200 (190, to be exact) calories each and with substantially less sugar and a smaller size.

They're also gluten-free, for anyone with Celiac's Disease!

As noted above, they come in three varieties. The are not just carbon copies of the originals. The Chocolate Raspberry Fit Protein Brownie, for example, is a new flavor.

These are the perfect size for a not-too-indulgent dessert that you can enjoy daily. They are less sweet, and somewhat less rich, than the original brownies, so those can certainly still have their place as a sometimes treat. 

The texture is really fudgy, not cakey, which I liked. 

Cakey brownies are a total ripoff, it defeats the point of a brownie if the chocolate doesn't stick to your teeth!

I was really pleasantly surprised by the Chocolate Raspberry brownie, as I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.

I'm not wild about the chocolate-fruit combo usually, but it really worked here!

The raspberry icing on top was a nice touch.

Do you prefer cakey or fudgy brownies?

What's your go-to dessert at the moment?

How often do you have dessert? Three times a day, duh.

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Follow the Frog with Balance Bar!

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I've reviewed Balance Bars in the past and they're not only delicious, but also up to some good! Here's a message from the friendly folks at Balance Bar!

Follow the Frog with Balance Bar!

Balance Bar is following the frog and you can, too! What frog? This frog!

September 16-22 is Follow the Frog Week. During this special week, Balance Bar will be showing its support for the Rainforest Alliance and offering you some great deals along the way.

Every time you see the green Rainforest Alliance Certified™ frog seal on products you buy, you can be proud that you’re making a responsible, sustainable purchase that’s good for you AND the environment. That includes products like our Dark bars, which are made with cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms!

To get you as excited as we are, Balance Bar has a special offer to keep you snacking sustainably. Order any variety of Balance Bars on www.shopbalance.com and save 15% on your entire purchase when you use code BALFTF2013. Plus, enjoy free shipping and a free 6ct box of our Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, which carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, when you spend $75 or more!

Offer ends September 22, so leap over to www.shopbalance.com and take advantage of this special promotion!

Want another reason to get excited? We’re also giving away boxes of Balance Bar Dark Bars on Twitter! Follow @balancebar on Twitter! We’re giving away one box per day September 16-22.

Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance’s commitment to the environment here.

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Career Tips from Rumpelstiltskin

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Have you heard the rumors? Disney might be working on a Rumpelstiltskin adaptation! While it's unsure if the rumors are true, Rumpelstiltskin is still a worthwhile fairytale character. His career is a cautionary tale of what can happen when you get it all the wrong way and lose everything again just as quickly.

From the guy with the ultimate career disaster, here are some tips to avoid having the same happen to you!

Tip #1 - Don't sell yourself short.

The one thing Rumpelstiltskin did right was not selling himself short. He knew that his ability to spin straw into gold was worth a lot and he asked for what he wanted right off of the bat - a lovely necklace, a beautiful ring, an unborn child...

Okay. That last one might have been a bit of a stretch.

But still. When you're negotiating a contract, or even just revising your resume/drafting a cover letter, don't forget that you're the bee's knees!

Tip #2 - Don't gloat.

By dancing gleefully around his fire and gloating, Rumpelstiltskin lost what he had won. And more!

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Don't gloat, because sore winners are disliked as much as sore losers. It's usually not a good idea to make people hate you.

Tip #3 - Be careful about what you put out there.

If Rumpelstiltskin lived in our world and our age of social media, he would probably be a reality TV star - or at least one of those folks who posts way too private info all over the internet without a care in the world.

Don't put anything on the internet that you wouldn't tell a stranger on the street.

Had he been more careful about what he sang out into the open, realizing that once you've said (or written, or posted!) something, it belongs to the public and can be used in ways you wouldn't want (or even be used against you!) he might not have been the big loser in the fairytale.

Tip #4 - Treat others as you want to be treated and be fair!

Rumpelstiltskin wasn't a fair businessman and so the people weren't nice to him either.



Once the tables turned and they won the upper hand, they weren't willing to work something out with Rumpelstiltskin. If he had been nicer in the first place, they might have been nicer to him when he became the vulnerable one!

Tip #5 - Don't lose your temper.

In the more gruesome 1857 revision of the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Rumpelstiltskin got so angry and stomped about so forcefully that his right foot went deep into the ground. So deep that he was waist-deep in the earth on his right side (erm...I think the Brothers Grimm needed a refresher course in anatomy and basic physical properties, but I digress). Anyway, he was then so angry about being stuck in the ground that he grabbed his left foot and tore himself in two!

Okay, so that might not happen to you if you get really angry. And okay, I haven't actually seen anyone die of anger. But anger can drive up your blood pressure unhealthily and it can make you make rash decisions. It's best to try to keep your cool when you can!

Are there any fairytale villains that you felt sorry for?

What was your main takeaway from Rumpelstiltskin's story?

Aren't Germans the best at fairytales - yes or absolutely yes?

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3 Steps to a Healthy Semester

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It's really easy to get caught up in the stress of the semester and the anxiety about doing everything right, especially as an upperclassmen. But anxious me isn't a fun me to be around and I'm willing to bet chocolate that anxious you isn't all that great, either.

I'm like that anyway, but it gets even more severe when I'm stressed. Patience = in the negative numbers.

In addition to how (un)pleasant anxious people are, being anxious isn't good for you health. Health is important and you don't want to 'succeed' now at the cost of your future health.

So I'm being super useful, again (you're welcome). Here are three handy steps to having a healthy, happy semester!

1) Remember no one gives a fig (or a prune).

Sometimes it seems like it's so important to do everything just right - to read and reread each chapter, to eat your veggies, to avoid the AM Krispy Kreme doughnuts run so that you don't have the following sugar crash and stay at peak productivity instead...but guess what?

You AREN'T the center of the universe. Shocker, I know. But since the earth revolves around the sun and not around you, you don't have to worry about upsetting the greater balance of the world if three Krispy Kreme doughnuts, instead of the ordinarily recommended oatmeal 'brain food,'  are breakfast sometimes. No one cares if you wear sweatpants two days in a row, so that you can get a little extra sleep, or if you don't consume any produce for a whole week (do fruity Skittles count?).

Just try not to make produce-less weeks every week, since no one's trying to bring rickets back, and do try to run a comb through your hair now and then. It's all about the balance. Don't take it all so seriously, life is to enjoy!

2) Don't forget your friends.

When your busy, the last thing you (or *cough, cough* me) want to do is have to meet up with friends for social events. Even going out for ice cream or watching a movie can seem like yet another thing you have to do.

But yes, you do have to do it. Busy times can often be stressful times and stressful times are exactly when you need the support of those who care about you.

Even if just to give you a reality check. Don't neglect your friends and (if they're good friends) they won't neglect you!

3) Take some 'me' time.

This one doesn't need much explanation, but it's a great way to keep some balance in your life and protect your mental health, even in the face of a thesis or job applications.

And no, time spent in your carrel in the library doesn't count.

Are you guilty of skipping any of the 3 steps?

What helps you when you're stressed?

What's the busiest time of the year for you?

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